Cushion-heel for shoes



H. FRATEHNALI.

CUSHION HEEL FOR S I APPLICATION FILED .IAN- I3, 9 l.. 11,391,885. ramasepf, 27,1921.A

UNITED STATES HENRY FRATERNALI, OF DOBS FERRY, NEW YORK.

CUSHION-HEEL FOR SHOES.

\ Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 27, 1921.

Application led January y13, 1921. Serial No. 436,918.

. Toy all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY FRATERNALI, a citizen of Italy, and resident of Dobbs Ferry, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cushion- Heels for Shoes, of 'which the following is a specification. f

My invention relates to an improvement in a heel for av shoe, and more particularly to a heel for providing a continuous rolling and yielding engagement of the shoe from any point of heel impact to the point of sole impact of the shoe with an engaged surface such as the ground.

Prior to my invention various forms of heels have been constructed and used, which were intended to provide a cushioning effect for reducing the impact of the heel with the ground. These devices have various provisions for securing va yieldingengagement when the heell of theshoe comes in contact with the ground, but such devices do not embody means which will reduce in any substantial manner the second impact incident to the engagement of the flat portion of the heel and the sole portion of the shoe with the ground.

In the act of walking, the heel portion of the shoe first comes in contact with the ground with the plane of the sole at an angle to the plane of the engaged surface, this contact resulting in the first impact of the shoe with the ground. n The shoe then rotatesabout the engaged portion of the heel, which is usually thekedge ofthe heel, until the plane of the sole is substantially in the plane of the engagedsurface. In this last position the fiat of the heel and with it the sole now contact the ground, this contactresulting in a second, which in most cases is a substantial impact.

A primary object of my present invention is to provide means for materially reducing not only the initial heel impact of the shoe, but also this secondary or combined heel and sole impact.

A further object is to provide a simple heel construction so proportioned as to accomplish these functions.

A still further Objectis to provide a heel ofthe type referred to and a support therefor whichv will effectively retain the heel on the shoe.y n

` To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such otherobjects asmeyhereinafter my improved heel and its attachment to the heel portion of the shoe,

Fig. 2 is a rear endv elevational view of the same showing in full lines the condition of the heel when a full downward weight is exerted upon it,

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the same,

Fig, 4 is a view of the same showing the position of the heel as it first reaches the ground in the making of a normal step, with the sole at an angleto the plane of theengaged surface, this view showing both normal and depressed positions,

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are cross sectional views of modified forms of my improved heel. n

Referring to the forms shown in Figs. 1

to 4, the heel comprises abody 10,` made of f any desirable material, preferably of rubber, and having an outer contour so as to provide a continuous rolling engagement from a first point of heel impact to a last point of heel impact, such contour being ,y

preferably, as shown in thefdrawings, of hemispherical shape, the body of the heel being preferably of a dimension so that the diameterof the spheresubstantially equals the full heel portion of the shoe. This body may be made of solid material but the preferred formV includes a-hemispherical shell, as shown in Fig. 1, having an outer surface 11 and an inner surface '12. This body is supported on the heel preferably by means o av plate 13 4having an annular flange portion 14, this forming a socket which receives the base portion of the heel. kThe heelvis provided with an anortion of the shoe, U

nular recess 15, in which is seated an annular ring 16, this-ring being connected to the Lflange 13inany desired manner, as for eX- ample,-by being brazed thereto. To provide further supporting means for the. interior of the heel there is provided, as shown in the drawings, a disk 17 seated in an internal annular recess formed inthe surface r12 `of the heel, said disk being connected to plate 13 in any desired manner, as by bolt 18.

Theis@ parts form a suitable supporting means for both the outside and the inside of the heel. In order to secure a further resilient effect, the space defined by the interior surface of the ,shell is provided with a compression spring 18', one end of which is seated against the disk 17, the other end of which is seated on a block 19 formed with the heel body 10.

Means is rprovided for attaching this heel and its support to the heel portion of the shoe, such means preferably consisting of lugs 20, which may be formed integrally with plate 13, such lugs being attached to the periphery of the heel portion of the shoe in any desirable way, as by screws or nails shown in the drawings.

As a further means for attaching the combined heel and its support to the heel portion of the shoe, there is provided a clip 21 connected to the shoe in the manner shown in Fig. 1 and connected to the heel body as by brazi'ng the clip to the ring `16; and also a plate 22 similarly connected to the heel body 10 and connected to the heel portion of the shoe as by bolt 23, said plate being preferably formed with a curved portion 23 engaging the upper of the shoe. It will be seen from this form of the device that when the heel first contacts the ground, as shown in Fig. 4, with the plane of the sole at an angle to the plane of the ground, thespring will be depressedand the heel slightly deformed as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, providing an initial impact which is a resilient impact; and further providing a relatively broad surface engagement of the heel with the ground. As the foot rotates and the plane of the sole approaches the plane of the ground, the shoe will rotate on the heel, bringing a different portion of the heel in engagement with the ground until there is reached an osculating plane of Vthe heel which is parallel to the plane of the plate 13. During the rotation of the shoe a continuous rolling engagement of the shoe is provided, yielding at all times a relatively large surface contact of the shoe with the ground and reducing any secondary impact normally resulting when the ordinary flat heel portion comes in contact with the ground; and also considerably eliminating the impact of the sole portion of theshoe with the ground, due to the continuous and rolling engagement provided by the contour of the body portion 10. By providing a shell like heel portion having a resilient element such as a compression spring mounted inthe core thereof, there is provided not only an effective resilient or cushion heel construction ,presenting a relatively broad surface engagement of the heel with the ground and providing, moreover, a largerA wearing surfaceaspointed out above, but there is also provided a construction which permits the use of the desired convex heel configuration in a shoe where a high arch is to be avoided. This is shown, for example, in Fig. 2 of the drawings, in which in use under the weight of the wearer the hemispherical heel will be depressed or deflated to the normal proportions as regards thickness or height of the flat heels generally in use. It will be, furthermore, apparent that these functions may in a measure be accomplished by the hemispherical shell-like body having a hollow Core per se, but it is preferred to provide a resilient element in core coperating with the inner wall of the shell-like heel, the resilient element preventing too great a deflation of the heel when subjected to the weight of the wearer, this construction furthermore effecting a quick return of the heel to convex or hemispherical configuration immediately upon the wearer lifting the shoe from the ground.

In the form shown in Fig. 5 different means is provided for supporting t-he heel and for connecting the heel body to the shoe, such means comprising a plate 24 having a flange portion 25 connected to the outer rim o f the heel in any desirable manner, as by screws or nails 26, the plate being connectedfto the shoe by attachment to another plate 27, the plates being preferably riveted, as shown in the drawings. To supply for the support of the inner portion of the heel and fory the yieldable means in the core of the shell, there is provided a male member 28 connected to the plate 27, this male member receiving the yieldable female member 29, connected to the interior surface of the shell 10, as by screws or nails 30, a spring 31 being interposed between the male member 28 and ablock of wood 32 to provide the resiliency, as pointed out above. In. theA form shown in Fig. 6, different means is provided for supporting the heel body and for connecting the support to the shoe, such means consisting of a plate 32 having annular portions formingla socket for the body 10, said plate being connected to another plate V33 by a Vbayonetjointing means, as shown in the drawings. This form of the device provides ready means of attachment for plate 32 supporting the heel .tion of Athe interior surface of the shell 10.

In this form, asin the other forms of the device, acompression spring 38 is provided,

which is seated against the block 37 and another block 39.

The operation of my improved heel is apparent from the above description thereof. It will be seen that I have provided a heel construction which accomplishes the functions intended in providing a continuous and yielding engagement of the heel with the ground in the act of walking', which will give an initial yielding impact of the heel on the ground and whichwill eliminate any further heel impact and considerably reduce the sole impact of the shoe with the ground, this construction also providing a relatively large surface engagement of the heel with the ground at all times of heel contact, this also yielding a relatively large wearing surface instead of a small wearing surface, as in the usual heel, resulting in a. longer life of the heel. In some forms of shoes where it is not feasible to have too large a heel, a solid block of resilient matter may be used, which may be in the form of a quadrant of a sphere instead of a hemisphere, the quadrant being so proportioned that a rolling contact will be provided from a oint of impact of the heel with the sole o the shoe at a maximum angle of about forty-live degrees to the plane of the ground to the point where the plane of the sole is substantially in the plane of the ground.

While I have shown my device in the preferred forms, it will be obvious that various changes and modifications may beumade in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the followings claims.

I claim:

1. A resilient heel adapted for attachment or connection to the heel portion of a shoe, said resilient heel including a substantially hemispherical body, the heel body comprising an elastic shell structure having a hollow core, the core defining a cavity when the resilient heel is attached or connected to the heel portion of the shoe.

2. A resilient heel adapted for attachment or connection to the heel portion of a shoe, said-resilient heel comprising a shelllike body having inner and outer surfaces,

the outer surface being adapted for continu-y ous rolling contact from the point of heel impact to the point of sole impact of the shoe, the shell-like body having a hollow core with the core defining a rcavity when the resilient heel is attached to the heel portion of the shoe and a supporting means for the heel providing means of attachment with the shell at the said inner and outer surfaces.

3. A resilient heel adapted for attachment or connection to the heel portion of a shoe, said resilient heel comprising a substantially hemispherical elastic shell-like body, the outer surface of which is adapted for continuous rolling contact with a plane of engagement; said shell-like body having a hollow core with the core dening a cavity when the resilient heel is attached to the heel portion of the shoe and resilient means mounted in the core of said shell and cooperating with the inner surface thereof.

4l. A resilient heel adapted for attachment or connection tothe heel portion of a shoe, said resilient heel comprising an elastic shell-like body having inner and outer surfaces, the outer surface being adapted for continuous rolling contact with a plane of engagement, said shell-like body having a hollow core, with the core defining a cavity when the resilient heel is attached to the heel portion of the shoe, a supporting means therefor providing means of attachment with said shell at the said inner and outer surfaces, and resilient means mounted in the core of said shell engaging said support and the inner surface of the shell.

Signed at New York, in the county of and State of New York, this 10th day of November, A. D. 1920.

REV. HENRY FRATER-NALI. 

